Find out the answers to your doubts regarding tester products and save money!

A tester is a version of a fragrance that comes without the fancy, retail packaging. Tester versions come in the same bottle as the retail version and include the same amount and quality of fragrance. The testers you see on our website are direct from the manufacturer and have never been used. 

If you would like to save money on a fragrance for yourself, consider purchasing the tester version of your brand. Please be aware that not all brands have testers available.

What to Expect:

In most cases, a tester fragrance will come in a plain white or cardboard box. However, some designers will reduce production costs by distributing their tester products unboxed and without caps. By cap we mean the decorative top, the spray nozzle comes with all spray fragrances (e.g. aftershave or splash fragrances don't come with sprayers). 

So, there are four ways that a tester can be packaged and sold:

. Manufacturer plain box with a cap.

. Manufacturer plain box without a cap.

. Unboxed with a cap.

. Unboxed without a cap.

Common Misconceptions about Testers:

1. Testers are used or they don't come with the full amount of fragrance. FALSE

2. Testers are not the real fragrance. FALSE

3. Testers don't come with sprayers, so the liquid will leak out. FALSE

4. Testers are illegal to sell since most say "Not for Resale". FALSE

The above statements are all false. Testers come full and unused, they are all 100% genuine, they come with the spray nozzle (if it is originally supposed to) and they are perfectly legal to sell.

Now, try to save your money on our Tester Section:

Applying the right amount of fragrance

Applying the right amount of cologne could be tricky if you really like the scent. But you, being a responsible cologne wearer, want to know the best method for applying cologne for different situations. 

When applying cologne there are some things that you need to consider:

Indoors:   Do not spray directly on the skin. Walk into the mist or spray directly above you.

Outdoors:   If it is windy or there is going to be a lot of movement, spray once directly onto the skin. The fresh air will dilute the scent but it will still warm up with your body when you need it.

Closeness:   If you are going to be sitting shoulder to shoulder with people for a long while, the best advice is to not use cologne at all. You can use an aftershave or body wash which will have less fragrant oils.

Spray in the air in front of you and walk into the mist.

Spray above your head so the mist falls on the top of your head, which can get stinky.

Tips about your fragrance:

Do not dilute your cologne so that you can spray it directly to your skin. Doing this will change the balance of your cologne and make the fragrance spoil quickly over time.

A fragrance is not designed to last all day. You will probably need to update it every three to four hours, depending on the chemical changes in your body daily, that reflect on your skin, as well as the kind of concentration of the fragrance:

Perfume (Parfum): up to 6 hours

Parfum De Toilette (PDT): Up to 5 hours

Eau de parfum (EDP): 3 to 5 hours

Eau de Toilette (EDT): 2 to 4 hours

Eau de Cologne (EDC): up to 2 hours

For Men Eau de Toilette (EDT): Up to 5 hours

Aftershave / after-shave lotion: 2 to 3 hours
Eau Fraîche: 2 to 3 hours

Can a perfume be aphrodisiac?

One of the most ubiquitous questions consumers have in mind when deciding on a fragrance is: 


Can a perfume be an aphrodisiac? 
Is there such a thing as a “love potion”? 


Since the beginning of human history scent has proved the ability to kindle passion and eroticism. Think Cleopatra ascending the Nile on her barge of incense designed to announce her arrival...and seduce Mark Antony.

Scent can certainly make you feel sexier but there is no scientific evidence to suggest that fragrance is actually an aphrodisiac. Smell is obviously linked to our sexuality and some experts believe that hormones released from glands in the groin and armpit act as powerful sexual attractants in the way that pheromones released by animals do. The sense of confidence the right perfume can give, plus the attractive chemical cocktail it helps create, can certainly be a great turn-on.

After all, two people cannot maintain a relationship if the don't like each others’ smell.

LAVENDER - A Journey of Magic & Smell

Since the ancient times, lavender has been used as a natural remedy in herbal and aromatherapy. People used to fill pillows with lavender to promote good night sleep and chase away nightmares.

Among all essential oils, lavender is the most versatile, with a range of properties from analgesic, through antidepressant, antiseptic, bactericidal and decongestant, to the hypotensive, insect repellent and sedative.

The main properties of the lavender can be summarized in a soothing and regulatory. Perhaps the most important is its ability to restore states of imbalance – on the mind and body.

Here are some perfumes  that contains lavender in their notes or the accords:

F for Fascinating Night by Salvatore Ferragamo

90 ml / 3.0 oz - EDP Eau De Parfum

$ 34.60  

(Retail Price: $75.00)

La Nuit De L'Homme by Yves Saint Laurent 

60 ml / 2.0 oz - Le Parfum

$ 66.35 

(Retail Price: $105.00)

Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier

EDT - Eau De Toilette

125 ml / 4.2 oz - $58.86 (Retail Price: $103.00)

200 ml / 6.7 oz - $80.30 (Retail Price: $112.00)

Boss Bottled Night by Hugo Boss

100 ml / 3.3 oz - EDT Eau De Toilette

$ 60.90

(Retail Price: $100.00)

10 Cool Facts About Scent & Smell

We all have a sense of smell, and we all use it constantly, whether we realize it or not. Scents and smell are two of the most important yet often overlooked elements of everyday experience. Want to learn a few truly amazing facts about the things your nose knows? Then just keep reading.

1. Everyone has a unique "smellprint": 

No two people smell things the same way because each of us has scent blind spots, meaning specific odors we can't pick up on. So that room spray that smells like cupcakes to you and like creamed corn to your friend? You're both right.

                                                                    

2. You really can smell fear:  

Study shows people can unconsciously detect fear by smelling pheromone released in sweat. You can also smell happiness and sexual arousal, as long as the person you're smelling is a close romantic partner.

3. Women generally have stronger senses of smell than men: 

On standard tests of smelling ability – including odour detection, discrimination and identification – women consistently score significantly higher than men. One researcher has claimed that the superior olfactory ability of females is evident even in newborn babies.

So it's not surprising that you know the milk's gone bad long before your guy roommate does.

4. Good smells make you happier: 

Smelling a fragrance you perceive as pleasant has a profoundly positive effect on your mood. So if you love vanilla, keeping a little scented oil on your desk can help lift you when you're down. The same goes for citrus, jasmine, or any other scent that makes you feel contented.

5. There are fewer scents than you think: 

Some researchers hypothesize that there are only seven primary odors: musky, putrid, pungent, camphoraceous (like mothballs), ethereal (like dry cleaning fluid), floral, and minty.

6. Pregnant women's weird food cravings may be because of their senses of smell: 

Because your nose is hypersensitive when you're enceinte, you develop an abnormal sense of taste, leading to bizarre cravings like pickles and ice cream.

7. You actually smell with your brain: 

Not your nose, as you might assume. You can feel the smell by your nose, but it is really interpreted by your brain.

8. Scents can cue memories: 

Most of your scent memories, however, come from the first decade of your life, unlike visual or other sensorial memory types.

9. Men can smell when women are ovulating: 

Both sexes can smell whether other people have major histocompatability complexes (MHCs) different from their own. This is interesting because mating with someone whose MHC is not too like your own creates offspring with hardier immune systems.

10. Humans have 350 functional olfactory receptor genes: 

Mice have 1,300.

Kristen Stewart is the Face of the New Balenciaga Fragrance!

Kristen Stewart may be the highest paid actress in Hollywood, but she is showing no signs of slowing down. The 22-year-old actress has announced that she is the new face of Balenciaga’s latest fragrance, FLORABOTANICA. The scent, due out in September, was both a natural and unnatural pairing for the star, who is known for her signature bed-head locks and frankly, not wanting to get all dolled up.

Florabotanica’s juice was created with International Flavors & Fragrances perfumers Olivier Polge and Jean-Christophe Hérault. It includes a vetiver, amber and caladium-leaf accord, and a (hybrid) rose, carnation and mint accord.

Kristen told that, “On a base level, the reason you want to wear a fragrance is because you want to smell attractive. That in itself is a pretty mature idea, especially considering the teenager I was. I was never the one wearing my mom’s perfume and trying to be sexy. I was like hanging out with my brothers and doing the opposite of that.”

What do you think of Kristen Stewart as the face of Balenciaga? Will you be buying the new fragrance?

Balenciaga - Florabotanica

Balenciaga - Florabotanica Ad